A high signal to noise ratio will help you have an effective conversation.

I have noticed that the words "I don't disagree" (IDD) reduces the signal to noise ratio of a conversation.

What does IDD mean? What do I recommend if you are in the habit of saying IDD? What do I recommend if you hear someone say IDD?

Managers who like to be in control have a predictable reaction to their organization grappling with a change which creates chaos -- they want it to stop. When? Now, right now.

What happens if management decides to short-circuit chaos with a magical solution? What happens if management accepts chaos as a necessary but uncomfortable period of the change process?

I argued in my first post about stand-up meetings that the "right" participants were the key to the success of a meeting rather than whether the participants were standing up or sitting down. Despite my dislike for the stand-up component, I did mention in my first post that there are components of a "stand-up meeting" that I do like.

What components do I like? Why do I like them? How can we innovate?

Stand up meetings are popular in software development organizations now.

What makes a stand-up meeting more effective than a traditional meeting to socialize status information?

How many times have you heard a supplier assert that they offer a technique that is a "best practice?"

What do they mean? How do you test whether a technique is a best practice?

The social awkwardness of an extreme introvert -- a loner-- confounds most extroverts. Extroverts prefer using social interaction as a big part of the problem solving process while a loner prefers solving problems without social interaction.

Can a loner be a contributing member on a collaborative team?

Has a member of your team become completely concerned about how something is done rather than whether it is done?

Is it a problem when someone is completely focused is on how something is done? What do you do about it?

What actions are available to you and every other member of your team to help a new teammate become a productive member of the team?

Is your team more like a basketball or a track team?

What's the difference between these types of teams? Why is the difference important?

Teams will take action on high-energy decisions. Action is less certain with low-energy decisions.

How do you detect a low-energy decision? What do you do about it?

What do you do when a teammate says, "I won't stand in the way of the team accepting the proposal." and when asked directly whether they will support the proposal, they hem and haw without clearly saying "Yes."?

Do some members of your team make agreements during meetings but fail to support them afterwards?

If this behavior is happening, I suspect your team is using an obscure process to make decisions.

In my first entry about the word "we," I argued using the words "We decided to..." often create ambiguity. I suggested asking yourself several questions to reduce ambiguity either when you hear those words or when you are about to say them.

In this entry, I will lay out the case for when using the words "We decided to..." is completely appropriate and the use of other words is inappropriate.

Does your team fine individuals for infractions; such as being late to meetings?

Rather than fining individuals, would more behavioral change happen if the entire team was fined?

What does it say abut the participants of a weekly meeting when the meeting consistently starts 5-10 minutes behind schedule?

Answer, the participants are cooperating with each other to start late. 

My friend Dan is a staffer for a software company. I asked him recently what he was working on. He told me he invests the majority of his time on a project to change the way his company licenses its software.

You transmit and receive meaning through a communication system that uses tools, such as words, sounds, tones, rhythm, touch, movement and so on. Words are a powerful tool within the system. They are used more consciously than any of the other tools.

It's ironic that the Baseball Writers Association of America named Joe Girardi the National League's 2006 Manager of the Year. Giardi was recently fired by the Florida Marlins despite managing a young, low-rated team into contention. It seems his problem wasn't performance but rather communication. 

How would your management style change if all your employees were financially independent and their objective was to master their craft while contributing to society?

Ever had one of your buttons pushed?

During a terrific session at the AYE Conference entitled Software by the Numbers, I discovered a new button of mine. Let's call it the "Planning" button.